Leprosy

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2 Kings 5:12 Being Unwilling And Missing Out

“Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 2 Kings 5:12

Getting directions from someone else does not always make sense to a person. Since the directions do not always make sense, many people choose to not follow them and do their own thing. Pride gets in the way and causes them to go their own way. In the process of going their own way, many will often miss out on the goal that they were seeking.

Naaman had leprosy and had gone to Elisha to be healed. Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman was angry and did not want to dip into a dirty river and stormed off in a rage.

People are very quick to put God in a box and expect Him to work a very specific way. If God does not work in the expected way, they get angry.

This is commonly seen when it comes to healing. Many want to see God heal a very specific, miraculous way or they feel God did not listen to their need and meet it.

God’s ways are so far above the ways of man, that often they can appear as ludicrous. Sometimes in order for God to provide what one desires, God has him do something that is out of the ordinary and does not make sense.

Many believers often miss out on blessings when they choose to not follow God’s commands completely out of pride or just not believing and trusting. They go away angry and miss what God has for them.

Believers need to do everything God says to do, regardless of how little sense it may make.

There may be something in your life that you are seeking God to take care of. God may be asking you to step out in faith and do something that sounds ridiculous and makes no sense to get the situation taken care of.

Do not let your not understanding or pride get in the way of God meeting your need. If you don’t step out in faith, you may never know what God was going to do. Trust that God knows what He is asking of you and that He will do what He has promised.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know what God is asking you to do; that you will step out in faith and obey God’s commands to you; that you will allow God to remove any pride in your life; and that you will see God’s hand of provision and miracles in your life.

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2 Kings 5:11 Mad At God’s Methods

Changed plans

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” 2 Kings 5:11 

Every person has an idea on how something should be done. The method that they think that something should be done is based off of past experience, what they have seen in the past, or preconceived ideas as to how it should happen.

Having these ideas are not necessarily good or bad ideas, but may not always be the best idea on how things should occur. Often the person does not have the bigger, longer term picture in mind.

Naaman was the head commander of the army for the king of Aram. He had developed leprosy and sought to be cured. He had went to Elisha to be cured by God. Elisha told him to go and dip seven times in the muddy waters of the Jordan River. Naaman was very angry. He wanted Elisha to call on God and do some miraculous sudden healing. Elisha was just doing what God had showed him to do.

It is very common for believers to have a preconceived idea on how God should do something or have them do something. When God does it differently or points them in a different direction, many get upset. They cannot understand how God would do it the way He did.

God has His own reasons for choosing the path that He does for each believer. He sees the grand picture from beginning to end and knows what is best for each individual and the group as a whole. He is able to do great things through very simple methods or very complex and grand methods. Either way the work is done.

There will be times God will work in your life in ways that are not ‘normal’. Do not be alarmed, but know that God is doing what is best in your life. God is bigger than you or anyone in this world. He knows what is best.

Be willing to step forward in the method God has set before you, trusting His Holy Spirit’s guidance in your life. Do not allow yourself to get angry or disappointed because God did not do it your way. It is not about you, but God, and God is about taking care of you in the best way.

Today I pray that you will accept God’s path for your life; that you will trust God’s methods in your life; that you will walk the path God has for you; and that God will do great things in and through you.

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2 Kings 5:13 Follow The Directions

Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 2 Kings 5:13

Naaman, who was the commander of the army for the king of Aram, came down with leprosy. He was told to go and find the prophet, Elisha, in Samaria to be healed. When he did see Elisha he was told to go wash in the Jordan river seven times. He was angry and did not want to do that, he wanted to have something great happen. His servant told him that he should follow the directions of the prophet. Naaman does and was healed of his leprosy.

People will often ask God for a touch in their lives, desiring a miracle in some area of their life. As they ask, they often have a thought on how that miracle should occur. Many desire to see the miracle in some great way with lots of excitement, publicity, and God doing it on the grand stage around others. The desire is also that the miracle will occur immediately with nothing to be done to get that miracle.

God can, and does, work some miracles in those ways, with a lot of fan-fare and excitement. Often, however, He works miracles in quiet simple ways behind the scenes. In Naaman’s case, it was the simple way of washing seven times in a river, and a dirty river at that. It was not done with a lot of publicity, though in public.

You may be seeking answers to some situation in your life. As like most people, you probably have a way that you think God should deal with that situation. You may have already heard something from God in how He wants to meet that situation in your life.

Listen to what God tells you to do. Be willing to follow His directions. Do not place God in a box and tell Him how to meet your needs. Allow God to be God and to be in control of the situation.

God may be wanting to do it in a way that someone else is involved to build their faith; or He may be doing it in a way to keep you from being filled with self-pride; or He may be doing it in a way build your trust in Him. In any case, follow His directions fully, no matter how small or great they are, to see His hand at work in your life.

I pray today that God will reveal His plans for you to you; that you will follow all of God’s directions to you; that you will allow God to meet all of your needs in His way and time; and that God will do mighty miracles in and through you.